SWC girls soccer: 5-minute guide

Michael Fornabaio

Updated 11:00 pm, Monday, September 9, 2013

When the girls soccer state finals rolled around last fall, the SWC was all over them. Immaculate, the conference champion, won Class S, the ninth time in 10 seasons it won at least a share of that crown.

Newtown, Immaculate's runner-up two weeks earlier, won Class LL after taking out upstart New Milford in the semifinals. Masuk, so close as always, made the state final in Class L.

It's a new year for everyone, obviously. Those teams graduated some stars, and other teams have new stars on the rise.

5 teams to watch

1. Immaculate. The Mustangs have talent back and are the team everyone around the league is watching. A new rule affects them in the state tournament: Because they're a successful (in their case, quite successful) program that draws from outside a boundary, the Mustangs have been boosted from Class S to Class L. They're one of six girls teams and one boys team that moved.

2. Barlow. After deep runs in both the Class L and SWC tournaments, the Falcons seem to have the potential to do it again if they fill some holes.

3. Newtown. Coach Marc Kenney says it might be the fittest group he has ever had. The Nighthawks graduated eight starters but have a lot of underclassmen with potential to be very good.

4. Masuk. The Panthers made their first state championship game last season (and as many times as they have played deep into fall, doesn't that sound odd?). They also graduated many starters but have a lot of young players stepping in.

5. New Milford. The Green Wave took a major preseason hit, losing senior standout Sabrina Baxter to a torn ACL. With a bunch of other players returning, though, they're one of a handful of other teams that can put together a nice season.